This one is near and dear to me. “Up on the Roof” is and has always been in my top five favorite songs of all time. Growing up in the city, something about the idea of being able to escape it simply by climbing appealed to me. I lived in the middle of a long string of row homes, so I never saw my own rooftop–and that made the notion all the more romantic, mysterious and enchanting.
The song itself was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and recorded by The Drifters. It was a huge hit upon its release in 1962, charting at Number 5 on the U.S. pop chart and a notch higher on the R&B chart. The lyrics are wistful, but the song really takes flight on the wings of its soaring melody–listen to it with your eyes closed, and you’ll instantly be transported to the rooftops.
Bruce covered “Up on the Roof” a handful of times during the early days of the Born to Run Tour in the summer of 1975. The song’s romantic, escapist cityscape fit perfectly into the BTR-centric setlist.
Unfortunately, of the seven times Bruce performed the song that summer, not a one was captured in good, clear quality. But you can listen to Bruce’s first-ever and last-ever performances below and hear how it evolved over those weeks. Bruce reportedly would sing the song while sitting on the edge of the stage–not quite acoustically, but with a quiet and restrained E Street Band in full crooner mode, doing their best Drifters impression.
Bruce’s performances of “Up on the Roof” were sweet and tender, unlikely candidates for translation into today’s arenas and stadiums. We’ve likely heard the last of “Up on the Roof” from Bruce in concert. Fortunately, we can listen to these documents and conjure the magic of those performances.
Up on the Roof
First performed: July 30, 1975 (Washington, DC)
Last performed: August 16, 1975 (New York City, NY)
